Dry grooving apparatus using a compressed air

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a dry grooving apparatus using compressed air. The dry grooving apparatus includes a blower box arranged over an engine room, an air supply unit adapted to supply air to a cutting saw, the air supply unit including an air compressor arranged over the engine room and adapted to generate compressed air, and a first air line connected at one end thereof to the air compressor and adapted to feed the compressed air from the air compressor, the air line being opened at the other end thereof to the cutting saw via air injection ports so as to cool the cutting saw, and a dust collecting unit adapted to collect dust discharged during the operation of the cutting saw. The dust collecting unit is integral with the air supply unit and includes a cyclone unit adapted to separate dust from air, and a dust discharge line opened at one end thereof to the cutting saw and connected at the other end thereof to the cyclone unit so as to discharge dust along with the compressed air reaching the cutting saw in accordance with the pressure of the compressed air, and a dust collecting box adapted to receive dust separated by the cyclone unit. The dust collecting box has, at a lower portion thereof, a dust discharge port adapted to discharge the separated dust into a dust collecting bag connectable to the dust discharge port.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to improvements in airport runways or roads constructed in cities, and more particularly to a dry grooving apparatus using compressed air, which is configured to use compressed air in place of cooling water, so that chips and dust generated when a grooving process is carried out for runways or other roads are sucked in vacuum along with the compressed air, and then filtered to be re-used as a pavement material.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Generally, safety grooves are formed on curved roads or airport runways in order to prevent an accident resulting from overspeeding. Such safety grooves avoid the formation of a water film on a road, slippage of vehicles on a road, and the formation of ice on a road, thereby achieving an improvement in safety for vehicles and aircrafts running on roads.

[0005] Such a grooving process is a technique for safety first developed in U.S.A. in order to prevent accidents resulting from slippage of vehicles on general roads or freeways. In accordance with this grooving process, safety grooves are formed at a road surface to prevent slippage of vehicles on the road surface in case of rain while improving drainage of rain from the road surface. The safety grooves also serve to provide additional functions of preventing the formation of ice on the road surface and achieving a reduction in braking distance.

[0006] Recently, the application of such a grooving process to general roads, freeways, and runways has been greatly increased. It has been appreciated that the grooving process is a safety technique capable of allowing stable steering operation of vehicles on a curved road, preventing lateral slippage of vehicles at a straight road or runway in case of rain, and achieving a reduced braking distance at a road, in particular, a crossroads.

[0007]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional safety grooving system for forming safety grooves at a road. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional safety grooving system mainly includes a water supplying/spraying vehicle 10, a cooling water supply line 12, a grooving apparatus 14, a vacuum suction line 28, and vacuum sucking vehicle 30. The water supplying/spraying vehicle 10, grooving apparatus 14, and vacuum sucking vehicle 30 operate simultaneously while being spaced apart from one another by a desired distance, in order to form safety grooves at a runway or road.

[0008] The water supplying/spraying vehicle 10 is adapted to supply a fluid, in particular, water. The cooling water supply line 12 is connected between the water supplying/spraying vehicle 10 and the grooving apparatus 14 to supplying cooling water from the water supplying/spraying vehicle 10 to the grooving apparatus 14.

[0009] The grooving apparatus 14 mainly includes a driver seat 16, a steering wheel 18, a cutting saw 20, a saw protector, and driving wheels 24. A vacuum suction line connector 26 is arranged near the cutting saw 20. The vacuum suction line 28 is connected at one end thereof to the vacuum suction line connector 26. The other end of the vacuum suction line 28 is connected to the vacuum sucking vehicle 20.

[0010] Where it is desired to form safety grooves at the road surface of an airport runway or road using the above mentioned grooving system, the water supplying/spraying vehicle 10, grooving apparatus 14 and vacuum sucking vehicle 30 operate simultaneously while running together along the road surface.

[0011] Since the water supplying/spraying vehicle, grooving apparatus, and vacuum sucking vehicle should simultaneously operate in forming safety grooves at the road surface of an airport runway or road, the conventional safety grooving system requires an increased number of workers, an increased number of processes, and increased working expenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above mentioned problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a dry grooving apparatus using compressed air, in which units for forcibly circulating compressed air to cool a cutting saw, sucking dust generated during a grooving process along with the circulating air, and filtering the sucked air are configured to be integral together, thereby being capable of reducing the grooving costs as compared to the conventional case involving simultaneous running of three vehicles, achieving improvements in workability and productivity, and preventing accidents from occurring during the grooving process.

[0013] In accordance with the present invention, this object is accomplished by providing a dry grooving apparatus using compressed air comprising a support member, and a driver seat, a steering wheel, a cutting saw, a saw protecting member and drive wheels arranged above or beneath the support member, the cutting saw being connected to an engine via a drive belt and serving to form safety grooves at a road surface, further comprising: a blower box arranged over an engine room installed on the support member; an air supply unit adapted to supply air to the cutting saw, the air supply unit including an air compressor arranged over the engine room and adapted to generate compressed air, and a first air line connected at one end thereof to the air compressor and adapted to feed the compressed air from the air compressor, the first air line being opened at the other end thereof to the cutting saw via air injection ports so as to cool the cutting saw during an operation of the cutting saw; a dust collecting unit adapted to collect dust discharged during the operation of the cutting saw, the dust collecting unit being integral with the air supply unit and including a cyclone unit arranged near the engine room and adapted to separate dust from air, and a dust discharge line opened at one end thereof to the cutting saw and connected at the other end thereof to the cyclone unit so as to discharge dust, generated during the operation of the cutting saw, along with the compressed air reaching the cutting saw in accordance with the pressure of the compressed air, and a dust collecting box arranged beneath the cyclone unit and adapted to receive dust separated by the cyclone unit, the dust collecting box having, at a lower portion thereof, a dust discharge port adapted to discharge the separated dust into a dust collecting bag connectable to the dust discharge port; a second air line connected at one end thereof to a top portion of the cyclone unit; and a filter type dust collector connected to the other end of the second air line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0015]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional safety grooving system for forming safety grooves at a road;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the basic configuration of a dry grooving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 3a is a partially-broken side view illustrating essential parts of the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 3b is a side view illustrating a portion of the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention where the cyclone unit is installed along with a dust collecting box and a filter type dust collector;

[0019]FIG. 3c is a view illustrating the principle of the cyclone unit according to the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 3d is a view illustrating the cutting saw included in the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 4a is a view illustrating the state of a tire contacting a road surface formed with safety grooves in accordance with the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention; and

[0022]FIG. 4b is a view illustrating longitudinal safety grooves formed at a road surface using the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Now, the present invention will be described in conjunction with preferred embodiments illustrated in the annexed drawings.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the basic configuration of a dry grooving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This dry grooving apparatus, which is denoted by the reference numeral 40 in FIG. 2, is of a self-running type. As shown in FIG. 2, the dry grooving apparatus 40 includes a cutting saw 42 for cutting and grooving a road surface, an air compressor 44 for supplying compressed air to the cutting saw 42, a dust discharge line 48 for discharging chips and dust along with the compressed air supplied from the air compressor 44, and a filter unit connected to the dust discharge line 48 and adapted to separate dust and air from each other. The dry grooving apparatus 40 also includes a cyclone unit connected to the filter unit.

[0025] In the dry grooving apparatus 40 having the above mentioned configuration, dust 80 is fed to the filter unit by virtue of the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor 44. The dust separated by the filter unit is automatically discharged into a dust collecting bag 76, so that it is collected.

[0026]FIG. 3a is a partially-broken side view illustrating essential parts of the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3b is a side view illustrating a portion of the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention where the cyclone unit is installed along with a dust collecting box and a filter type dust collector. FIG. 3c is a view illustrating the principle of the cyclone unit according to the present invention. FIG. 3d is a view illustrating the cutting saw included in the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3 b, the dry grooving apparatus 40 mainly includes an operating unit, a driving unit, an air supplying unit, a filter unit, and a dust collecting unit. The operating unit includes a base member 50, driving wheels 52, a driver seat 54, and a steering wheel 56. The driving unit includes a drive motor 58, an engine 60, and drive belts 62. The air supplying unit includes the air compressor 44 for supplying compressed air to the cutting saw 42, and an air supply line 46 arranged between the air compressor 44 and the cutting saw 42. The filter unit includes a blower box 64 for supporting a filter, and a filter type dust collector 66 for filtering air fed via the blower. The dust collecting unit includes a cyclone unit 70 and a dust collecting box 72. The dust discharge line 48, which is arranged between the cutting saw 42 and the cyclone unit 70, is also included in the dust collecting unit. Air lines 68, which connect the cyclone unit 70 to the cutting saw 42 and air compressor 44, respectively, is also included in the dust collecting unit.

[0028] The engine 60 is installed in an engine room 78. One of the drive belts 62 serve to couple the engine 60 to the drive motor 58. The other drive belt 62 serves to couple the blower to the engine 60. The cutting saw 42 is arranged in a sealed circular chamber. An air line (not shown) is connected to a top portion of the sealed circular chamber where the cutting saw 42 is arranged. This air line is a passage for feeding high pressure air from the air compressor 44.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 3b, the air compressor 44 is arranged over the engine room 78 at one side of the engine room 78. The filter type dust collector 66 and cyclone unit 70 are arranged at opposite sides of the air compressor 44, respectively. A first one of the air lines 68 is arranged between the air compressor 44 and the cyclone unit 70. The other air line 68, that is, the second air line, is arranged between the blower box 64 and the filter type dust collector 66. Air emerging from the blower box 64 becomes fresh while passing through the filter type dust collector 66, and is then outwardly discharged. Since a large quantity of air is introduced into the filter type dust collector 66, filters of three stages (not shown) are arranged in the filter type dust collector 66. Since the filtering unit having such a configuration is well known, no detailed description will be made in conjunction with this filtering unit.

[0030] The cyclone unit 70 of the dry grooving apparatus 40 is arranged outside the base member 50. One end of the first air line 68 is connected to the top of the cyclone unit 70. The other end of the first air line 68 is connected to the blower box 64. The dust collecting box 72 is arranged beneath the cyclone unit 70. A dust collecting bag is coupled to the dust collecting box 72 so as to subsequently process dust collected by the dust collecting box 72.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3d, the cutting saw 42 of the dry grooving apparatus 40 includes a cylindrical saw body, a plurality of cutting teeth arranged around the saw body, and a circular protection cover arranged over the saw body to protect the cutting teeth. A plurality of air injection ports 82 are provided at the protection cover to inject high pressure air fed from the air compressor 44.

[0032]FIG. 4a is a view illustrating the state of a tire contacting a road surface formed with safety grooves in accordance with the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4b is a view illustrating longitudinal safety grooves formed at a road surface using the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention.

[0033]FIG. 4a illustrates the dynamic relation of the tire 86 contacting the road surface 84. Referring to FIG. 4a, it can be found that the bottom portion of the tire 86 is partially penetrated into the longitudinal safety grooves 88, thereby increasing the friction of the tire 86 on the road surface 84. Referring to FIG. 4b, it can be found that the bottom portion of the tire 86 generates pressure in a state contacting the safety grooves 88 of the road surface 84, so that water present at the road surface 84 is effectively drained along the safety grooves 88.

[0034] As apparent from the above description, the air compressor 44 adapted to supply high pressure air and the cyclone unit 70 adapted to collect dust are integral with each other. Accordingly, chips and dust generated during the process for forming safety grooves at a road surface can be collected simultaneously with the grooving process. Therefore, the entire process can be simplified. In other words, the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention has a configuration in which the air supply unit adapted to supply air to the cutting saw 42 and the dust collecting unit adapted to collect dust generated during an operation of the cutting saw 42 are integral with each other.

[0035] The width, depth and space of grooves formed using the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention may be optionally determined, taking into consideration the condition of a road surface to be formed with those grooves.

[0036] Effects obtained by the configuration of the dry grooving apparatus according to the present invention will now be described.

[0037] As mentioned above, the air compressor adapted to supply high pressure air and the cyclone unit adapted to collect dust are integral with each other. Accordingly, chips and dust generated during the process for forming safety grooves at a road surface can be collected simultaneously with the grooving process. Therefore, the entire process can be simplified. This results in an improvement in workability and reductions in the number of workers, the number of processes and the working expenses. Furthermore, the entire process can be carried out under a clean condition. An improved reliability is also provided.

[0038] The dry grooving apparatus of the present invention involves a reduced spatial limitation while involving a reduced working area. Accordingly, where a grooving process is carried out in a large city using the dry grooving apparatus of the present invention, there is an advantage in that the grooving process can be achieved without interfering with traffic.

[0039] The dry grooving apparatus of the present invention achieves an environmentally-intimate perfect dust processing involving no damage of nature. The dry grooving apparatus of the present invention can be applied to facilities already installed, in order to more effectively and securely manage those facilities. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dry grooving apparatus using compressed air comprising a support member, and a driver seat, a steering wheel, a cutting saw, a saw protecting member and drive wheels arranged above or beneath the support member, the cutting saw being connected to an engine via a drive belt and serving to form safety grooves at a road surface, further comprising: a blower box arranged over an engine room installed on the support member; an air supply unit adapted to supply air to the cutting saw, the air supply unit including an air compressor arranged over the engine room and adapted to generate compressed air, and a first air line connected at one end thereof to the air compressor and adapted to feed the compressed air from the air compressor, the first air line being opened at the other end thereof to the cutting saw via air injection ports so as to cool the cutting saw during an operation of the cutting saw; a dust collecting unit adapted to collect dust discharged during the operation of the cutting saw, the dust collecting unit being integral with the air supply unit and including a cyclone unit arranged near the engine room and adapted to separate dust from air, and a dust discharge line opened at one end thereof to the cutting saw and connected at the other end thereof to the cyclone unit so as to discharge dust, generated during the operation of the cutting saw, along with the compressed air reaching the cutting saw in accordance with the pressure of the compressed air, and a dust collecting box arranged beneath the cyclone unit and adapted to receive dust separated by the cyclone unit, the dust collecting box having, at a lower portion thereof, a dust discharge port adapted to discharge the separated dust into a dust collecting bag connectable to the dust discharge port; a second air line connected at one end thereof to a top portion of the cyclone unit; and a filter type dust collector connected to the other end of the second air line. 